The media's annual bout of blindness

Dozens of professional journalists, particularly in the vicinity of Washington, DC, are showing early signs of a strange illness that strikes, oddly enough, at exactly this time each year. The illness causes restricted vision, so that reporters fail to notice large-scale events.

The disease—to which medical professionals have not yet assigned a name—makes it almost impossible for major-media reporters to notice tens of thousands of people marching up Constitution Avenue. Because the disease also causes mental disorientation, reporters fail to notice traffic jams, sold-out hotels, crowded Metro cars, and an unusual number of young people carrying pro-life placards around Capitol Hill.

This remarkable malady invariably claims reporters from mainstream media outlets as its first victims. But the disease is highly contagious, and other reporters—including those outside Washington—frequently show the same symptoms.

Fortunately the disease passes quickly, typically lasting only about 36 hours. Victims will recover completely by January 23, and by Friday even inexperienced journalists will be able to recognize a potential headline story immediately if a half-dozen people gather outside the Japanese embassy to protest the killing of innocent dolphins.

Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.

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